UAE: Skydivers 'dance' mid-air in world's largest wind tunnel at Abu Dhabi championship

Inside the world's largest indoor skydiving chamber at CLYMB Yas Island, eight flyers lock hands, release, spin, regroup and flip — not falling, not floating, but dancing mid-air with precision that borders on choreography. From the outside, it looks effortless. Inside, it's controlled chaos.

"It's like a dance," said Cornelia Mihai, moments before her team UAE were about to perform one of the first rounds of the newly introduced vertical sequential 8-way discipline. "But you do it with seven other people.'

For Mihai, who has been flying in wind tunnels since 2008 and moved to Dubai in 2012, this championship marks a first — not her first competition, but her first time flying as part of an eight-way team.

Stay up to date with the latest news. Follow KT on WhatsApp Channels.

"This is a team we put together just for this competition because it’s a new discipline," she said. "We’re all trying it out."

That sense of experimentation — mixed with nerves, excitement and trust — set the tone on day one of the EEIPC 2026 World Skydiving Championships, where elite athletes from around the world are competing inside a tunnel 'tall enough to swallow a building.'

Mihai's team, made up of flyers who live and work in the UAE, trained together for just a few hours before the event.

“Maybe we had like three hours flying together,” she said. “We all know how to fly. We just had to coordinate and understand the rules — and create a free routine, which took most of the time.”

The pressure, she admitted, is different from flying solo. “In solo, you’re only pressuring yourself,” Mihai said. “In team events, you want to do your part for everybody else. When we all do our routine together and nobody messes it up — and it wasn’t my fault — that’s the beauty of the team.”

Nearby, James Rogers — last year’s champion — was getting ready to enter the tunnel. 

“I started flying when I was eight. I’m 21 now,” said Rogers, who represents Team USA alongside his teammate Landon under the name Fanatics. “Once I figured out there were competitions, I immediately wanted to get involved.”

Introduced to wind tunnels through his father, a former US Army airborne soldier, Rogers went on to compete nationally and internationally, logging thousands of jumps and flying up to two hours a day at his peak.

“A lot of flying and mental preparedness,” he said, when asked what drove his win last year. “I was flying more than anybody else.”

While his competitive schedule is lighter now, Rogers remains one of the event’s most watched athletes — especially when he pushes speed and creativity to the edge.

“I really like dynamic flying,” he said. “Going as fast as I can, using the entire space of the tunnel.”

Among the moves he’s known for is one he invented himself.

“It’s called the tornado spin,” Rogers said. “It’s a tonne of spins. You either fully commit or you’re going to die — so it’s risky. But it’s always a crowd-pleaser.”

Training for events like this goes far beyond the tunnel. Rogers swims regularly, comparing water movement to air.

“It's fluid dynamics,” he said. “The air and the water move very similarly.”

The biggest challenge, however, isn’t physical.

“The schedule,” he said. “The tunnel opens at 6am and closes at midnight. There’s very little time to eat or sleep.”

‘Something bigger than yourself’

For Jennifer Davidson, competing in 8-way formation skydiving is about precision, memory and deep trust in the people around her.

“You can be doing the best skydiving you’ve ever done,” said Davidson, part of Team USA, “but if you’re not contributing to how well the team is doing, it doesn’t matter.” Davidson began outdoor skydiving in 2007 and started competing four years later. One of the teams she’s flying with in Abu Dhabi includes current and former world champions. Preparation is intense and structured.

“We train two or three weeks a month during the season,” she said. “On a training day, it’s about an hour of flying — which is quite a lot.”

Formations aren’t improvised. They’re drawn from a pool of 42 set formations, revealed only hours before competition.

“Round one is always high anxiety, high excitement,” Davidson said. “It’s good to get that first round out of the way.”

What keeps her coming back isn’t just the sport — it’s the people. “I’ll see the same people here in the UAE, then next year in Arizona, then in France,” she said. “The community is really special. It brings people from completely different lives together.” Davidson, who is also a helicopter pilot, summed it up simply: “The air is a good place for me to be.”

A tunnel built for history

Watching over the action is Hassan Al Hassani, deputy general manager of CLYMB Yas Island, who says the venue itself is what makes many of these disciplines possible. “This is the only place where a 16-person formation can happen indoors,” he said. "No other tunnel can fit them."

Athletes are judged on speed, consistency and quality — from clean hand grips to full control of movement. “It’s very hard work,” Al Hassani said. “They practise a lot outside on mock-ups before they ever come inside.”

Beyond the established disciplines, this year’s championship introduces new formats — including vertical sequential 8-way, aerial racing and a head-to-head 4-way battle where teams fly simultaneously. "What makes me proud is that we’re creating new experiences for the skydiving community," he said. "Today, we are making history and a legacy."

With more than 250 athletes from over 30 countries competing over four days, the event also marks a milestone for the UAE, with local flyers competing on home soil.